Mercury’s research identified that the service enhancement most valued was proactive help to reduce power usage and bills. GEM – the Good Energy Monitor - is a unique technical innovation that supports this brand promise.

Providing visibility and control of energy usage and costs, GEM is a multi-channel customer engagement programme designed to fix the biggest pain point of all - the surprise and shock of the monthly power bill. It predicts your bill, sends high bill alerts and compares your usage with similar homes. GEM even determines the impact of the weather!

Meaningful explanations of usage are supplied to customers in dollars, not confusing kWhs, and for those with smart meters, weekly usage emails show them how they’re tracking. Customers can create personalised saving plans, using a sophisticated database of energy saving tips, and keep track of progress.

GEM launched with a direct response 45sec TVC which set up the bill shock pain point and explained the GEM solution. With over 65% of Auckland as customers, broadcast was an efficient channel to use. Key messaging and imagery was integrated across all channels to maximise awareness, recall and conversion to response.

A significant internal marketing campaign was undertaken prior to launch which included comprehensive departmental training, a `GEM fun week’ aimed at increasing product knowledge, cue cards and desktop prompts for the contact centre staff and a launch event for the entire business.

Finally, a new Mercury website was created to enable the seamless integration of GEM into the customer’s My Account functionality, achieving a frictionless, best-in-class web self-service experience to maximise GEM sign ups.

To convert initial awareness into response, consumers who visited GEM and explored its features became entitled to entry into a prize draw to win $10,000 cash.

Rarely does innovation reshape a category. But in energy, the ultimate low-interest, low-involvement category which struggles to differentiate beyond price, Mercury has!

GEM’s launch exceeded target by 100% - a third of all Mercury customers have visited GEM. The brand is transformed, ratings for innovation are up 130%, and perceptions of something different being offered are up 158%.